Stan Mikita
Stan Mikita (born Stanislav Guoth on May 20, 1940 in Sokolče, Slovak Republic) was a Slovak-born Canadian professional player who played for the Chicago Blackhawks on the NHL from 1958 to 1980, and won a Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 1961. Mikita is regarded as the best centre of the 1960s; in 2017, he was named one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players". In 2015, Mikita was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia; on August 7, 2018, he died from the disease at the age of 78. Biography Early Life Mikita was raised in a small farming community in Sokolče, Slovak Republic and moved to St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada in 1948. He was adopted by his aunt and uncle, Anna and Joe Mikita, who gave him their surname. Playing Career After three starring junior seasons with the St. Catharines Teepees of the Ontario Hockey Association, Mikita was promoted to the Chicago Black Hawks in the 1959–60 season. In his second full year, in 1961, the Black Hawks won their third Stanley Cup. Mikita led the entire league in goals during the playoffs, scoring a total of six. The following season was his breakout year. Mikita became a star as centre of the famed "Scooter Line", with right wing Ken Wharram and left wingers Ab McDonald & Doug Mohns. Combining skilled defense and a reputation as one of the game's best faceoff men using his innovative curved stick, Mikita led the NHL in scoring four times in the decade, tying Bobby Hull's year-old single-season scoring mark in the 1966–67 season with 97 points (a mark broken two years later by former teammate Phil Esposito and currently held by Wayne Gretzky). The 1967–68 season, an 87-point effort from Mikita, was the last year a Chicago player won the scoring title until Patrick Kane's 106-point 2015–16 season. During his early years, Mikita was among the most penalized players in the league, but he then decided to play a cleaner game and he went on to win the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for particularly sportsmanlike conduct combined with excellence twice. His drastic change in behavior came after he returned home from a road trip. His wife told him that while their daughter, Meg, was watching the Black Hawks' last road game on television, she turned and said, "Mommy, why does Daddy spend so much time sitting down?"; the camera had just shown Mikita in the penalty box again. Mikita's later years were marred by chronic back injuries, leading to his retirement during the 1979–80 season; at that time, only Gordie Howe and Phil Esposito had scored more points in the NHL and just six players had appeared in more games. On October 19, 1980, the Blackhawks retired Mikita's number 21, making him the first Blackhawks player to have his number retired. In 2011, statues of Mikita and Bobby Hull were installed outside the United Center where the Blackhawks currently play. Career Statistics Accolades *Ranked 14th all-time in points, 18th in assists, 31st in goals and 40th in games played (at end of 2017-18 NHL season) *Won the Hart Memorial Trophy as most valuable player in 1967 & 1968 *Won the Art Ross Trophy as leading scorer in 1964, 1965, 1967 & 1968 *Won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in 1967 and 1968 *Named to the NHL's First All-Star Team in 1962, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1967 & 1968 *Named to the NHL's Second All-Star Team in 1965 & 1970 *Played in NHL All-Star Game in 1964, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974 & 1975 *Won the Lester Patrick Trophy in 1976 *The only player in NHL history to win the Hart, Art Ross, and Lady Byng trophies in the same season, doing so in consecutive seasons (in 1966-67 and 1967-68). *Was named to Team Canada for the 1972 Summit Series, but he only played two games due to injuries *Was ranked number 17 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 greatest NHL players in 1998 Retirement After retiring, Mikita became a golf pro at Kemper Lakes Golf Club. His other business interests (under Stan Mikita Enterprises) included making the small plastic sauce containers that accompany chicken nuggets at McDonald's. He owned Stan Mikita's Village Inn in the 1960s and 1970s which was located in the Oakbrook Shopping Center, Oak Brook, Illinois. He provided the foreword to the children's book "My Man Stan" by Tim Wendel where he is featured as a main character in the book. Mikita became a goodwill ambassador for the Blackhawks' organization and for three decades, the Blackhawks Alumni Association has hosted an annual golf tournament named in his honour. Category:Former Saint Catherines Teepees members Category:Former Ontario Hockey League Junior members Category:Retired players Category:Players Category:Hall of Famers Category:1958 team Category:1959 team Category:1960 team Category:1961 team Category:1962 team Category:1963 team Category:1964 team Category:1965 team Category:1966 team Category:1967 team Category:1968 team Category:1969 team Category:1970 team Category:1971 team Category:1972 team Category:1973 team Category:1974 team Category:1975 team Category:1976 team Category:1977 team Category:1978 team Category:1979 team Category:1980 team Category:Former Chicago Blackhawks Category:1940 births Category:Forwards Category:Deceased former players